We thought we had a scoop! Federal Minister Emerson was going to announce funding for projects in BC from the Asia Pacific Corridor Initiative. The most spectacular part of the Corridor is the Port in Prince Rupert and the ability to manage the Worlds largest vessels, coming from Asia, in a shorter journey than to any other North American Port. Even better still for this transportation structure is that no trucks are involved. The containers get placed directly onto railcars and take the shortest route, in a virtual straight line, direct to Memphis, passing through Chicago. The North American Industrialists are absolutely thrilled, except for those heavily invested in other West Coast Ports.

This is why we were so sure that the Northwest would be the recipient of some of the Asia Pacific monies. All that volume of rail traffic passing through our communities increases not only in the number of trains daily, but also the length of these trains. All of the six funding announcements last week were for projects in the Lower Mainland. Not a peep about us, in the most economically devastated part of the province, that is about to provide astounding economic advantage to the entire North American Continent.

Terrace Mayor, Jack Talstra has been actively courting the major corporate players and yet his town is in a state of almost perpetual bankruptcy while his neighbours seem to prosper just a little better. Trying to find some money to fuel the City’s lawnmowers is proving to be an overwhelming task it seems. Talstra has even taken to asking to share in Kitimat’s Alcan tax base claiming that many of their employees live in Terrace. It is that desperate in Terrace.

One thing that might have to do with this seemingly affront to the Northwest is that every political representative, Federal and Provincial, save one, sits on the wrong side of the corporate wing. Nathan Cullen, Federal MP Skeena Bulkley Valley (NDP); Robin Austin, Provincial MLA, Skeena (NDP); Gary Coons, Provincial MLA North Coast (NDP).

While speaking with Mayor Talstra last week he stated that we seem to be our own worst enemies. He was fairly representing his point of view that we should be courting the corporations and industrial development opportunities rather than protesting them and, like Kitimat, taking them to Court. I think we just vote the wrong way and will be punished until we learn how to vote properly.

I wonder though, here we have the most incredible economic boom for the entire continent and our region remains ignored and in economic shambles. We are even closing schools and music programs for our children, our future. Personally I am pretty ashamed to be a Canadian right now when I look around the Country and then drive around my new hometown of Terrace. We don’t deserve to be anyone’s lap dog. We should be respected and treated with some measure of dignity. Being left to fight amongst ourselves over the meager scraps of economic activity like a bunch of cannibals is simply just too embarrassing to watch.